A video of a duel between a Russian and a Ukrainian soldier, in which the men are fighting at close range, has circulated on social networks. The Russian president presented the soldier with the highest state award.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday presented the highest state award to a soldier who, in a viral video, killed a Ukrainian soldier in close combat. Putin awarded corporal Andrey Grigoriev the Hero of the Russian Federation medal for “courage and heroism”, the Kremlin said in a statement. TASR reports according to the AFP agency.
This month, Russian military bloggers published a video shot by a Ukrainian soldier’s helmet camera. However, according to Russian and Ukrainian media reports, this recording dates back to last year.
In the video, a Ukrainian soldier is walking towards a house. Subsequently, a shootout begins and the Ukrainian throws a hand grenade into the building. After the explosion, Grigoriev comes out of the house. Both men then start fighting with their bare hands and using knives. In the end, the Russian soldier gets the upper hand and kills the Ukrainian. Before his death, however, the Ukrainian asks his opponent to let him die in peace and says “goodbye mom”.
Both soldiers were identified
Pro-Kremlin media identified the Russian soldier as Grigoriev from the far-eastern Republic of Yakutia, which is dominated by the Turkic Yakut ethnic group. Ukrainian media identified the slain soldier as Dmytro Maslovsky from Odesa region.
The head of the Republic of Yakutia, Aysen Nikolaev, confirmed on Telegram that he personally met with Grigoryev on Saturday, highlighting his actions and calling him “very humble”. He presented him with a traditional Yakut knife as a thank you. “People like him strengthen our great Russia,” he declared. Nikolaev.
AFP reminds that the Russian government has focused on the most remote and ethnically diverse regions, where it recruits soldiers for the war in Ukraine. In the poor Far Eastern regions, local men are mainly motivated by high salaries.
